She flinched, and my anger immediately redirected to whoever had taught her she was a burden for simply being present.
“I mean it. None of this is on you.” I scrubbed my hand down my face. “I’m the one who brought you with me, expecting you to be safe as long as I had you in my sight, sweetheart.”
The nickname slipped out before I could catch it. As soon as it left my mouth, I froze.
Elodie’s head snapped up, her eyes wide and color blooming across her cheeks. She stared at me like she doubted what she’d just heard, unsure of what it meant.
Her plump lips parted, as though she’d forgotten what she’d meant to say. But she didn’t seem offended or scared. Just affected.
I could see it in the way her breath came a little too shallow, how her fingers curled into the sleeves of her jacket like she needed something to anchor her.
My cougar preened at the sight, but I shut him down hard before he took her reaction as a sign that she was ready to be claimed.
“We should head back.” I turned away before I did something worse than use a single endearment. “Weather’s shifting again, and I don’t want you out here any longer than necessary.”
She blinked, clearly shaken out of her thoughts. “Oh. Right. Okay.”
I started walking without waiting, trusting she’d follow. And she did.
The drive back to the cabins was quiet. Every part of me was hyperaware of her presence. Having her this close made something settle in my chest that had never known peace before.
When we reached my cabin, I unlocked the door and stepped aside, watching her cross the threshold. Taking satisfaction in having my mate in my space, her scent filling the air.
I lingered in the doorway a moment longer than necessary, scanning the tree line out of habit. Whatever threat was circling this project had come too close to her already.
The danger was real. And now it wasn’t just aimed at my land.
It had come too close to my mate. I wouldn’t let that stand.
6
ELODIE
Istood in the guest room with my duffel open at my feet and my small suitcase perched on the bed, staring down at the neatly folded clothes inside. Garner had brought them in for me this morning, and I was already second-guessing the decision.
I wasn’t used to getting comfortable in any one place because I was always aware that my invitation could be revoked at any time. But Garner and his friends had made me feel so welcome over the past twenty-four hours that I hadn’t thought twice when he asked if there was anything he could get from the car for me.
As I kept busy unpacking, my thoughts refused to cooperate. They kept circling back to the moment yesterday when he’d called me, “Sweetheart.”
It had seemed as though he hadn’t even realized he’d said it until the term of endearment was already hanging between us. And made me wonder if he felt the magnetic pull between us like I did.
I paused, my fingers tightening around the hem of a T-shirt.
Everything with Garner was new to me. I’d watched girls in high school giggle over crushes and listened to coworkerscomplain about dating disasters, but I’d never felt any of it myself.
Somewhere along the way, I’d assumed I was wired differently. Or broken in a way that didn’t come with a clear explanation.
But now I wondered if I was just late to the party.
My attraction to Garner felt like standing on the edge of something vast and unknown. It was terrifying and strangely beautiful all at once.
Butterflies swirled in my belly as I remembered how Garner had looked at me afterward. He hadn’t been embarrassed, just aware. As if something had shifted for him too, even if neither of us had named it.
I sank onto the edge of the bed, pressing my palms flat against the quilt to ground myself and wondering if the way I already longed for Garner wasn’t normal. And if it was something I could only feel for him.
The thought sent another wave of warmth through me, followed immediately by a spike of fear. Because if whatever had awakened inside me was tied to a man I barely knew…I had no idea what I was supposed to do with that.
Or how to walk away from it.
